PERFORMERS: ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

By PETER TATCHELL (reproduced from LAUGH MAGAZINE #5, 1992)

For fifteen years they were the most popular comedy duo in show business. From the rough and tumble of the burlesque stage to the heights of movie stardom, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello held an appeal that was universal. They were masters at turning the pratfalls and patter of a theatrical era on the verge of extinction to pure gold on the cinema screen. For much of their career they were also headliners on radio, and when television emerged in the early 1950s they conquered that as well.

The boys first worked together in 1936 Bud following on from a family tradition of circuses and sideshows, Lou having tried his luck as a stuntman in Hollywood’s early days of the talkies. Both found themselves in the knockabout world of burlesque, then sinking fast from the honest vulgarity of its heyday to a tawdry parade of strip teasers. Each was working with other partners, and success was eluding them. Together, though, they clicked from the start.

Their first big break came with a weekly spot on the popular Kate Smith Hour heard nationwide over CBS stations. Despite initial opposition from the “powers-that-be” who thought they might be too visual for radio, Bud and Lou helped lift the show’s ratings across the country. Their only obstacle was sounding too alike on the air, but this was solved when Lou gave his voice a higher pitch which in fact suited his “I’m a baaaaad boy” characterisation anyway.

Each week they’d perform one of the classic routines they’d perfected on stage … ‘The Lemon Bit”, “Mustard”, “The Horse’s Mudder”, etc. Ironically, the program’s producer couldn’t see any humour in “Who’s On First” and wouldn’t let them include it in their spot. In desperation, Bud and Lou insisted they’d finally run out of material and would have to drop out that week. Faced with the loss of one of the show’s most popular segments, the routine was given the go ahead, and CBS was inundated with listener response as a result. From that day onward it became their most requested sketch and the one with which they’d be most readily identified for the rest of their career.

Abbott and Costello stayed with Kate Smith for three seasons until the middle of 1940. By then, they’d appeared in a Broadway show The Streets Of Paris (stealing the kudos from Bobby Clark and Carmen Miranda) and had made their movie debut in One Night In The Tropics for Universal. NBC signed them for a 13-week series as a summer replacement for Fred Allen in 1940. Later that year they landed starring roles in the film Buck Privates. With a modest budget and a shooting schedule of under three weeks, the studio wasn’t exactly going out on a limb for the duo. However, when it premiered the following February, the public took Bud and Lou to their hearts and the picture became a huge money-spinner.

Needless to say, Universal rushed them into a series of features to capitalize on their success and in all, the boys made some three dozen movies as a team. Despite their enormous fame in front of the camera, their next radio venture was as support to Edgar Bergen on his Sunday night NBC program. As with their time on the Kate Smith show, Bud and Lou appeared in their own segment every week, performing their traditional wordplay routines.

After a year with Bergen, NBC gave them their own series. The Abbott And Costello Show debuted on October 8th 1942 where it became a Thursday night favorite for five seasons. At its height the show attracted an estimated twenty million listeners across America. Like the other comedy-variety programs on air during those years in the midst of the Second World War, Abbott and Costello’s half hour featured a regular vocalist (Connie Haines) and a guest from the movie world. Stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Lucille Ball and George Raft shared the microphone with Bud and Lou during their premiere season, and in subsequent series Cary Grant, Alan Ladd and Frank Sinatra joined the roster.

Apart from their radio and film work the boys also spent a lot of their time selling war bonds for “Uncle Sam”. They were at the peak of their careers but things weren’t always rosy for the pair. In March 1943 Lou was struck down with rheumatic fever and had to cancel all work until he recovered. Bud continued on with the radio show for a couple of broadcasts before he was forced to abandon the program until his partner could resume. Eight months later their eventual return to the airwaves was marred by tragedy when Lou’s baby boy drowned in the family swimming pool just hours before the broadcast. On hearing the news, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope and Red Skelton offered to fill in for him but Lou insisted on going on. It was only after the show had been performed that Bud told the audience the heartbreak his partner had endured.

In 1947 Abbott and Costello switched to ABC for a couple of seasons and in addition to their night time show did a special children’s edition on Saturday mornings. At the time, ABC was the only major network allowing their programs to be pre-recorded (following a precedent set by Bing Crosby who was involved with a company developing the new technology of recording tape).

By the end of the decade radio was being usurped by television and Bud and Lou were signed to join the rotating list of stars on the Colgate Comedy Hour on NBC each Sunday night (the boys’ actual television debut had taken place on July 19 1939 during the run of Streets Of Paris but at that time only a few hundred sets would have been in operation).

The first of the Abbott and Costello specials aired on January 7 1951 and like much of their radio work featured tried-and-true material from their early days in burlesque including a version of the perennial Crazy House. The critics may have made note of the age of the material but the public was delighted. For their second telecast (on March 11) Bud and Lou performed Who’s On First and revived scenes from their Universal movies (including a confrontation with Frankenstein’s monster played by Lon Chaney Jr).

NBC signed the two for more Colgate appearances the following season but Lou decided to produce a separate batch of half-hour episodes featuring Bud and himself which would generate additional income in the form of residual payments each time they were screened. Filming of The Abbott And Costello Show began at the old Hal Roach studios in mid-1951 with a supporting cast of Sid Fields, Joe Besser, Hillary Brooke, Gordon Jones and Joe Kirk. Eventually fifty-two editions were made, and forty years later they serve as a delightful showcase of just about every burlesque routine the team ever did.

The live shows for Colgate, meanwhile, continued on at the rate of four or five a year and saw Bud and Lou in their element … reacting and ad-libbing in front of a live audience. Despite their ages (Lou was in his late forties and Bud was a good ten years older) the shows were filled with the knockabout bits and pratfalls they’d been doing since the mid-1930s. Invariably props went wrong and more often than not Lou was a bundle of bruises by the time the credits rolled.

Along with their film work, Abbott and Costello continued to appear on the Colgate Comedy Hour until May 1955 by which time their teaming had reached a crossroad. Their contract with Universal was not renewed and they were perceived as being unwilling to update their material for newer and more “sophisticated” audiences. Over the years Lou had harboured a desire to be regarded as a performer in his own right, and to a degree felt limited within the confines of the partnership. Finally, in late 1956, he decided it was time to call it quits.

Apart from voicing a series of Abbott and Costello cartoons in the 1960s Bud virtually retired from show business, but Lou branched out as a solo comedian and occasionally a straight actor. He starred in the movie The Thirty Foot Bride Of Candy Rock and made a number of guest shots on Steve Allen’s popular Tonight Show. His health (which had been a problem since the early 1940s) was now a major concern and in February 1959 he was felled by a heart attack and died some days later. Bud survived his partner by fifteen years but a series of strokes in the mid-1960s left him in poor health for the rest of his life and he died in 1974.

It’s been over sixty years since Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were at their peak on movie screens around the world and from radio sets across America. Highlights of their broadcasting career have long been available on record and with the proliferation of the video cassette and DVDs we can now enjoy their routines from the early days of television. In both mediums we have vibrant examples of two very funny performers exhibiting the talent and artistry of an age of entertainment now gone from the scene. And the laughter will go on for many years to come.

RADIO

The Kate Smith Hour (CBS)
Thursdays February 3 to June 23 1938 (21 editions)
Thursdays September 29 1938 to June 29 1939 (39 editions)
Fridays October 6 1939 to June 28 1940 (38 editions)(no known recordings)

The Abbott and Costello Show (NBC summer season)
Wednesdays July 3 to September 25 1940 (13 editions)(no known recordings)

The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show (NBC)
Sundays September 7 1941 to June 28 1942 (42 editions)recordings of Sep 21, Nov 16, Nov 30, Dec 7, May 3, May 31, June 21 and June 28 are in the hands of collectors

The Abbott and Costello Show (NBC)
Thursdays October 8 1942 to March 18 1943 (not Jan 21) (23 editions)Oct 15, Nov 19, Jan 14 and Feb 11 are in the hands of collectors

Thursdays November 4 1943 to June 15 1944 (33 editions)Nov 11 to Jan 27, Feb 10, Feb 17, Mar 2 to Apr 6, Apr 20, May 4 and May 11 are in the hands of collectors

Thursdays October 51944 to June 28 1945 (39 editions)Oct 5 to Nov 16, Dec 7 to 21, Jan 11 to Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 1, Mar 8, Mar 22, Apr 5, Apr 19 to May 10, and June 7 to 28 are in the hands of collectors

The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show
Radiola LP MR-1034
Features the complete broadcast of May 3 1942 with Abbott and Costello

Who’s On First? Abbott and Costello On Radio
Radiola LP MR-1038
Features the complete broadcast of November 9 1944 plus four excerpts:Who’s On First (wartime)The Story Of Moby Dick (1947)In Alaska (1947)Hertz U-Drive (1945)

Abbott and Costello On Radio
Nostalgia Lane NLR 1001
Features the complete broadcast of December 12 1946 plus five excerpts:Who’s On FirstCostello’s FarmThe Famous “Board” RoutineHertz U-DriveThe Story Of Moby Dick

Abbott and Costello — When Radio Was King!
Memorabilia LP MLP-731
Features the complete broadcast of December 12 1946, plus:Who’s On First

Hey AAA-Abbott!
Murray Hill 3LP Set 899981
Features four complete broadcasts:
February 11 1943
November 9 1944
April 51945
June 14 1945
and two complete television soundtracks:Getting A JobThe Actors’ Home

The Great Radio Comedians
Murray Hill 5LP Set 931699
Features the complete broadcast of January 25 1945

The Best Of Abbott and Costello
Murray Hill 3LP Set M 58039
Features three complete broadcasts:
November 11 1943
October 5 1944
May 5 1948
the complete Lux Radio Theatre “Buck Privates” of October 13 1941,
plus excerpts from two other broadcasts and four television soundtracks

The Best of Abbott & Costello and Amos & Andy
Radiex-6 LP
features the complete television soundtrack of The Actors’ Home

The Best Of Abbott & Costello
Metacom/Listener’s Choice/Golden Age Radio CD RM 0482201 (1994)Girls, Girls, GirlsU-DriveCostello The Stunt ManHull Of A BoatCostello’s Horse Peanut ButterGold OreMoby DickThe Crap Game From Buck PrivatesRoom And BoardBuying A Baseball UniformWho’s On First

Who’s On First
I.M.C. Music/On The Air CD OTA 101913 (1999)
Features the broadcast of November 9 1944, plus extracts:Who’s On FirstThe Story Of Moby DickAbbot & Costello In AlaskaHertz U-Drive

Abbott and Costello
Radio Spirits CD 39990
Features broadcasts of:
April 10 1947
April 17 1947

The Abbott and Costello Show
Radio Spirits CD 7700 (2001)
Features broadcasts of:
April 17 1947
March 30 1944

All the Universal titles (except It Ain’t Hay) have been released in four double-DVD box sets. Africa Screams and Jack and the Beanstalk appear on numerous releases, indicating they are presumably now in the public domain.

South Of Dixie
Lou overhears some actors rehearsing a Civil War melodrama and thinks a girl is about to be murdered.

From Bed To Worse
The boys try to beautify their garden to win a prize but end up arguing with a neighbour.

$1000 TV Prize
While the boys are trying to fix Mr. Fields’ television, Lou answers a phone competition on his number.

Amnesia
To break up Lou’s romance, Bud tries to convince him he has amnesia and is really already married.

Efficiency Experts
While trying to curb the spending habits of two sisters, the boys are lured into a casino.

Car Trouble
Lou wins a dud automobile but their motoring trip to Michigan to buy a new one is fraught with difficulties.

Wife Wanted
Lou will inherit a large sum of money providing he is married.

Uncle From New Jersey
To stop Mr. Fields evicting them, the boys try to convince him Lou is the sole heir to a very rich uncle.

Private Eye
Lou wants to be a detective and offers to help a girl find some bonds that are believed hidden in a creepy mansion.

The Tax Return
Lou is mistakenly sent a one million dollar tax refund which attracts the attention of some gangsters.

Public Enemies
When criminals move into the boys’ apartment house, Lou is mistaken for a fellow crook and taken along on their heist.

Bank Hold-up
Bud and Lou are conned into helping two bank robbers stage a hold-up.

Well Oiled
Lou poses as a rich Texan to help Mr. Fields get out of a breach of promise suit.

The Pigeon
Lou becomes the middleman when a gangster’s lady friend wants to ditch her beau and run off with another man.

Honeymoon House
Lou’s attempts to build a prefabricated house for his fiancée are sabotaged by a jealous rival.

Fencing Master
Lou is suckered into being the guinea pig for a scientist who claims he can be made immune to injury.

Beauty Contest Story
The boys agree to help judge a beauty pageant but when Mr. Fields’ niece becomes a contestant their impartiality is threatened.

Fall Guy
While helping two men get their girlfriends out on a date, Bud and Lou are coerced into helping their father put a TV antenna.

Barber Lou
While taking part in a neighbour’s theatrical production, Bud unwisely gets Lou to give him a massage.

TELEVISION MATERIAL RELEASED ON VIDEO

The Best Of Abbott and Costello Live
Warner Home Video
Features highlights from the team’s appearances on The Colgate Comedy Hour including “Who’s On First”, “Drill Routine”, “Crap Game”, “Necklace-In-The Hamburger”, “Bryant 4444” and “Don’t Order Anything”

Who’s On First
Viking Video
Features the complete Colgate Comedy Hour of March 11 1951

The Best of the Abbott and Costello Show – volume 1GoodTimes DVD 05 50314 (2005)
features 4 editions of the Colgate Comedy Hour
December 14 1952
April 18 1954
January 11 1953
April 6 1952

The Best of the Abbott and Costello Show – volume 2GoodTimes DVD 05 50315 (2005)
features 5 editions of the Colgate Comedy Hour
April 26 1953
January 13 1952
March 11 1951
November 18 1951
March 21 1954

Golden Years Of Classic Television – volume 1: The Colgate Comedy Hours
Cascadia Entertainment DVD CCE 545
Features the Colgate Comedy Hour of January 11 1953, plus the “Who’s On First” routine

The Abbott & Costello Show – Series 1
Beyond 5-disc DVD set FV 3008Features all 26 episodes of first season (plus bonus items)

The Abbott & Costello Show – Series 2
Beyond 5-disc DVD set BHE 3045features all 26 episodes of the second season (plus bonus items)

Legends of Laughter: Abbott & Costello
Infinity 6-disc set
includes 14 Colgate Comedy Hours:
January 7, March 11, October 11 and November 18 1951
January 13, April 16, May 14, October 19 and December 14 1952
January 11 and April 26 1953
March 21, April 18 and April 25 1954
2 movies:Africa Screams and Jack and the Beanstalk
plus 17 radio broadcasts

BOOKS

BUD AND LOU – THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO STORY
by Bob Thomas (W.H. Allen, London. 1977)

THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO BOOK
by Jim Mulholland (Popular Library paperback, New York. 1975)

THE OFFICIAL ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SCRAPBOOK
by Stephen Cox and John Lofflin (Contemporary Books paperback, Chicago. 1990)

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